Christian Bale was banned from riding a hi-tech motorbike on the set of the new Batman movie - because it was deemed too dangerous.

The Dark Knight star claims film bosses ordered a stuntman to take his place in scenes involving the 'Bat Pod' in case the actor fell off and injured himself.

The machine - described as a steamroller combined with a motorbike and atomic missile - is the Caped Crusader's latest gadget.

Bale says, "Embarrassingly, I didn't get to ride it. There are other motorbikes in the film that I got to burn about on, but not the Bat Pod - it was deemed too dangerous; they needed me in one piece to finish the damn movie."

Bale admits the machine was so hard to handle that only one stuntman on the set could ride it without falling off.

But he is determined to master the Bat Pod before the film has its world premiere in New York on 14 July.

He adds: "I've asked the producers if I can have a go on it before the premiere, so that I really can ride it before I get asked any more of these questions - you can't be Batman and not have been on the bloody Bat bike!"